Mourning dove hunting is senseless

Since 1918, Iowans demanded that dove hunting be outlawed, largely because Iowans considered the mourning dove as a symbol of peace in commemorating the service and mourning the sacrifice of our World War I veterans. This sentiment again was demonstrated in 2002 when a bill (House File 396) was introduced in the Iowa Legislature for permanently making the mourning dove a protected game bird in this state. Yet, all of this respectful, historical observance was abandoned by our legislators in 2011, by passing a bill largely hidden from the public that legalized the senseless killing of mourning doves.

What made Iowa different from other states was that the mourning dove was our symbol of preserving the importance and dedication to our fallen soldiers. It may be fashionable to abandon honoring our dead for purposes of immediate satisfaction, but there is no heroism in it. No piece of meat, no favorite hobby of our legislators, and no wish to take hunting fees by our Department of Natural Resources will take the place of the memories of the fallen — and convince Iowans that it’s right to kill a symbol of our past patronage.

Mourning doves mate for life. You blast one away, the other is left to flounder. Contact and petition your legislators to abolish the dove hunting season in Iowa, which sadly begins again on Sept. 1. You won’t regret it, especially when you hear one cooing and clapping its wings when it takes flight, knowing that you helped it along.

— Robin Crabtree, Madrid